Walmart Social Responsibility
...ness environment. One can only wonder that maybe the implementation of some of those strategic decisions and business practices may have been a bit too “innovative”. This paper will attempt to show how Wal-Mart is socially irresponsible in this regard. Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer, whose slogan is, “Always Low Prices, Always.” Its success is partly due to the bargains it passes on to “America’s undereducated lower class,” as stated by its CFO, Milt Shipman. Apparently, there is much more to which they can contribute their successes to, such as part of their work force being made up of illegal immigrants. 60 Wal-Mart stores in the United States were raided after being under Federal investigation for over 3 years. Nearly 250 illegal immigrants were found to be working at the chain as janitors, employed by outside contractors that Wal-Mart hired. The immigrant workers came from Mexico (90), Czech Republic (35), Mongolia (22), Brazil (20), and around a dozen from Uzbekistan, Poland, Russia, Georgia, and Lithuania. They were all arrested and could be facing deportation. Wal-Mart had been investigated previously in 1998 and in 2001, where practically 100 illegal immigrants (also contracted by janitorial services) were arrested. The cleaning contractors pleaded guilty to the 1998 and 2001 charges, which prompted this investigation. Federal agents believe that Wal-Mart had to have known about the illegal immigrants because of the previous offense. They also stated that they have recorded conversation between Wal-Mart and the contractors alluding to the fact that Wal-Mart knew the workers were illegal. Wal-Mart acknowledged that 10 of the immigrants arrested were employed directly by them.(Greenhouse, 2003) Wal-Mart has been in the hot seat in the past for possible violation of federal employment laws. They have had class-action suits filed against them in over 30 states that accuse supervisors of hassling employees to work overtime off the clock. They have also been scrutinized for discrimination against their female employees. According to Greenhouse’s article, the workforce at Wal-Mart is made up of 80% females, only 10% of which are store managers.(Greenhouse, 2003) Social Responsibility, as defined by our textbook, is “the obligation of organization management to make decisions and take actions that will enhance the welfare and interests of society as well as the organization.”(Daft, 2003, p. 146) What sort of obligations does Wal-Mart have that they are not meeting? They have an obligation the their government, their stockholders, their employees, and the community, to name just a few. If the accusations are true that Wal-Mart knowingly hired illegal immigrants to clean their stores and offices at night, they have betrayed all of the above mentioned. They have betrayed their government, by breaking the law, and making it easier for illegal immigrants to live in the United States. They have betrayed their stockholders by putting the company in danger of loosing money from lawsuits and lost profit due to lost customers. They have betrayed their employees by …….. (?) And finally, they have betrayed the community by taking away possible jobs from them, United States citizens. The class action suits, for violations against Federal Employment Law, that have been filed against Wal-Mart are more examples of Wal-Mart not being responsible to their employees. A few workers, although illegal immigrants, have claims that they have worked (this paragraph almost sounds like ...